What is the best water shoreline solution?
Living close to a lake or river is a true blessing. No matter if it is a private shoreline or a municipal one – there are periods in time where this shoreline might be left without any care which eventually could require a big restoration effort so that it looks good again.
If you have just moved to your dream water front property that has been neglected for many years – you need to roll up your sleeves. Are you planning to do the restoration yourself or to hire a team of professionals? Have you thought about doing a native or riprap shorelines? In this blog post, we are going to share the pros and cons of the two approaches so you can make up your mind and take the best decision possible.
Native Shorelines
Having a native shoreline covered in grass, trees and flowers is the more natural and eco-friendly way. This type of coast provides habitat for many forms of animals and brings natural shade to all shallow-water fish. In addition, native shorelines help in filtering out all kinds of pollution before it enters the water.
The bad sides of having a native shoreline are that they may invite many mosquitoes and other insects. In order to look good, native shorelines requires more maintenance in the early years, which may be a real drag for somebody.
Riprap Shorelines
Creating a riprap shoreline is far easier and requires little to no maintenance. When looking good it always increases the property value and is very durable. With a riprap shoreline, you will dissuade critters (muskrats and other fury little mammals) from tunneling into your shoreline and setting up camp.
The bad sides of riprap shorelines are that they do not absorb any water from flooding and do not add anything beneficial to the local wildlife. In contrast to a native shoreline, the riprap option will not filter runoff from adjacent land.
We believe that everybody would like to live next to a natural water basin. Of course, keeping your local lake or river shoreline in top-notch condition requires certain effort and investments.
What do you prefer Native Shoreline, Riprap Shorelines or a little of both?
Contact Meyers Landscaping to go over your shoreline solution!
